Married Life

Life after Marriage - Driven by Spiritual Principles

At age fifteen, Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan married Hiraba. Soon after, Hiraba lost one of Her eyes due to an infection. Several years passed and people would goad Ambalal into remarrying since Hiraba had a defect, and also because they did not have any children. Ambalal was very categorical in his response: "No! I have vowed to take care of Her in the presence of the sacred fire! I will keep that promise until my last breath. I would care for her even if she lost both her eyes!"

He was a remarkable husband to Hiraba and they had an ideal marriage. Never once did they quarrel or have a dispute in all their years together.

He lived a very simple life and followed spiritual principles. Despite running a successful business, He took home an amount equivalent only to a salary of a non-matriculate person! He left the profits untouched and told his business partner that He was free to take the profit to pay towards the expenses of his daughter's marriage and his other needs. He would also take people on pilgrimages at his own expense; He never took a single penny from anyone for His personal use.

His awareness about His practice of non-violence (ahimsa) was so profound that whenever he came home late at night, He would remove his shoes and walk bare feet so that He would not startle and wake up the sleeping dogs in the alley.

He viewed the worldly life in a very different light. He recollected, "From a very young age, I could see the world's horrible nature. Danger lies in every moment, and there are problems and miseries at every moment. That is why I do not become overly zealous or interested in anything. You never know when you will die, do you?" He was constantly preoccupied with virtuous contemplation and higher spiritual thinking. In his search for eternal truth and Self Realization, He extensively read the scriptures of all the religions. He was very impressed by all the writings of the Gnani Purush Shrimad Rajchandra. He said that he would have made Shrimad his guru, had he met him in person.

In search of the Self, He endured much penance:

"I used to let even the bed bugs bite me. I would tell the bug, 'Now that you are here, eat a full meal. Do not leave hungry.' This body of mine is a hotel; It is such that all must feel comfortable and no one should be hurt by it. This was the business of my 'hotel.' Thus, I have even fed bed bugs. Would anyone charge me if I did not? No! My sole intent was to attain the Self. I constantly observed the rules of not eating after dark, not eating root crops and drank boiled water. I had left no stone unturned in my spiritual efforts and therefore Akram Vignan came forth, a science that will purify the whole world!"